This article has been shortened for brevity. Read the full article in Cities Today.
A Scottish council has avoided an estimated US$1.6 million in extra staffing costs by using artificial intelligence to cut paperwork in social services–one of several case studies shared in a CivStart webinar showcasing how cities are adopting AI to manage budgets and preserve institutional knowledge.
The session, hosted by Nick Lyle, Chief Impact Officer at CivStart, featured the winners of the 2025 State of GovTech pitch event–Magic Notes, Chief AI and Madison AI–alongside local government officials piloting their tools.
Managing mayoral offices
In Denver, the mayor’s office has been piloting Chief AI to streamline operations that were previously handled manually.
“In every one of those roles, I struggled with so many issues that Chief helped solve. There just is no modern software, no software really at all, to manage the operations of a government office,” said Mary Bowman, Senior Advisor, Mayor’s Office. “Chief is doing that, from scheduling to briefing materials to the management of relationships. I never could have imagined a product like this, and so to have piloted this product in the City and County of Denver for the last year has been a real game changer.”
Bowman added that the pilot has drawn strong interest across city government: “We are piloting in the mayor’s office itself right now, but so many different folks from across government have approached me and are eager to figure out how they can use AI or use Chief AI as well.”
Recommendations for peers
From government officials:
- Be brave in testing new tools, said Morgan: “Try the product, test out its safety by asking the technical guys to do that, and then look at piloting.”
- Pilot first to measure impact on staff and residents before committing long‑term.
- Engage IT and procurement teams early to address compliance and security.
- Create AI use policies to build community and staff trust, as Los Altos Hills did.
- Expect cultural change: staff may revert to old ways unless prompted to use new tools.
From start-up founders:
- Pilot programmes are “two‑way doors” – cities should feel free to test and walk away if tools don’t fit.
- Demand strong security and compliance, including data retention and open records policies.
- Insist on government‑specific solutions, not generic AI tools, to meet public sector standards.
- Co‑create with vendors: start-ups stressed their willingness to adapt products to municipal needs.
- Keep humans in the loop to ensure outputs are accurate, trusted and legally compliant.
